Focal Aria with Polk Legend centre?

[MaxBuck]

The only data I can find is about the 936 which have an extra woofer, and the 906 which are 2 way.

R700 measurements are here, but couldn't find Spin data on those either.

That said...

View attachment 262489

Is that a Sub Woofer in the photo?

 

[Monosauras]

As an update, I'm going to go listen to all speakers again.

Focal Aria 926 are still what I'm leaning toward, but I'm concerned that they will be bright when I bring them home.
Polk R700 feel like the safe option.
I'm also going to listen to the Wharfedale Eco 4.4, and KEF R series (which are on sale with the Meta revision release imminent).

I will be pairing them with dual subs, so I think I might stop being stubborn and look at some bookshelves as well. So I'll listen to the Acoustic Energy AE500, KEF R3, Focal Aria 906, Polk L200, and Revel M105.

 

[MarcT]

I will just say that my center speaker is a Polk LSi M706c, which appears very similar to the new L400, and I am not too impressed with the dialog clarity from it. But I do have some hearing loss, so take that with a grain of salt. What I'd really like to try is a Revel C208, which is widely tested and reputed to be an excellent center speaker.

As to mixing brands, my front L/R speakers are Sonus Faber Lumina V and they sound fine together with the Polk to me.

 

[Monosauras]

I auditioned the Wharfedale EVO 4.4 today, up against the Acoustic Energy AE309. They were both very close, both with their own pros and cons. The AE did give me a little bit of fatigue though, however had some marginal clarity over the Wharfedale. I'd give the margin to the AE309.

Then of course, I made the foolish decision to listen to the AE509 and the aforementioned two seemed like a waste of money. Alas, the 5 series doesn't have a matching center speaker, so the best I could probably do would be the AE307, which goes for about $1100AUD.

Tomorrow I'll listen to the KEF R3 (non meta), and put them against the Revel M106 (which I'm told is more comparable?)

In the meantime my mind keeps wandering back to those Focal, and I've arranged a proper audition (not so narrow) against the Polk R700 later this week. The center still makes me pause, however I've found the following thread with some measurements, so maybe someone who knows what they are looking at can make sense of it for me? Only other info I've found on it is subjective (all saying it is good).

Focal Aria 900 series: Amp load measurement

Some weeks ago, I helped a friend to set up its home theatre. He had to choose the best loudspeakers mix of different brands, some “home made”. Not an easy task. Among listening tests and calibrations, I made also some basic measurements and comparison with mine, based one Focal Aria 900 series...

www.audiosciencereview.com

I will just say that my center speaker is a Polk LSi M706c, which appears very similar to the new L400, and I am not too impressed with the dialog clarity from it. But I do have some hearing loss, so take that with a grain of salt. What I'd really like to try is a Revel C208, which is widely tested and reputed to be an excellent center speaker.

Thanks for that. Yes, I'm starting to lean away from the Polk. I just don't think my heart is in it. Just to give a better idea of what I'm looking at though (all prices in AUD):

Focal Aria 926 + CC900 - $4200 (currently on sale, regular price would be $6000)
Acoustic Energy AE509 + AE307 - $5640
Revel Performa 3 M106 + C208 - $6799 (plus I'd need stands)
KEF R3 + R2C - $4518 (currently on sale due to Meta, plus I'd need stands)

These will be matched with 2x SVS PC-4000 subs, and (presently) a Denon AVR-X4000 for a 3.2 system, and will live in an open area (not a dedicated room).

So, as you can see, the Revel would go way up. In comparison, here are the prices of the center speakers alone:

Focal Aria CC900 - $840 (reg $1200)
Acoustic Energy AE307 - $1098 (discounted in above bundle, if bought with two fronts)
Revel C208 - $3699 (haven't yet gone in and listened, so haven't yet asked for a discount)
KEF R2C - $1709 (grey market price, so haven't yet asked for a discount)

I'm sure at this point that the Revel is a monster, but am I hitting minimal returns on that one?

I think I will stay away from mixing brands as well, just because I cannot audition it in my room, or even together in one place.

Thanks for your continued help, everyone.

 

[delta76]

I have CC900 and don't have a complain. in movie setup it is for dialogs and everything works well (enough) for me. Any other sounds that give you chills and goosebumps are from other channels - can't see why spend AUD 3699 for a center, even for a very good one.

 

[Monosauras]

Hey everyone,

Thank you for your help. I ended up increasing my budget and going second hand. I'm now waiting on delivery of a Monitor Audio PL300 and PLC350 combination. Once I heard them nothing else I'd listened to could compare.

Hoping someone could make sense of something for me though. I don't want to damage anything.

The PL300 are rated at:

Sensitivity (1W@1M)​

90 dB

Nominal Impedance​

4 Ohms

Maximum SPL​

118.6 dBA

Power Handling (RMS)​

300 W

Recommended Amplifier Requirements​

100 - 300 W

The PLC350 is rated at:

Sensitivity (1W@1M)​

90 dB

Nominal Impedance​

4 Ohms

Maximum SPL​

117.8 dBA

Power Handling (RMS)​

250 W

Recommended Amplifier Requirements​

100 - 250 W

Will my Denon AVR-X4000 drive these speakers ok until I save enough to upgrade the amp?

Specs list:
200 watts per channel
(6 ohms, 1 kHz, THD 1%, 1ch driven)
165 watts per channel
(6 ohms, 1 kHz, THD 0.7%, 2ch driven)
125 watts per channel
(8 ohms, 20 Hz- 20 kHz, THD 0.05%, 2ch driven)

I'm finding references to a since removed FAQ on Denon's website that says you can use 4 ohm speakers with Denon receivers fine, but can't find the original source.

Thank you

 

[Simpleman88]

I guess thats what they want when you demo stuff.. they always let you listen to that one step above what you would like to spend and then youre sold. Aria 926 costs 1800 euro a pair here in europe so the 5000 for the MA is a different level. Glad you found something though have fun!

 

[Head_Unit]

Would it be ok to mix in the Polk centre with the Focal fronts?

IF you're fluent in English and French. The Polk will sound great for American movies; for dubbed French you'll want to cut it out and run a phantom center from the Focal. Vive la France! You could also use the CC900 which we have, it sounds very good, and is ported all the way down to 40 Hz. Surprisingly, though it's an MTM, it does not sound bad off-center. For the L/R save up some and get the 936, we love love love ours. I believe in some significant part this is due to the additional height which gets the mid and tweeter up at ear height.
- Though if I was in the market at the moment I'd really check these out, based on a great experience with the previous Silver 300
https://www.stereophile.com/content/monitor-audio-silver-500-7g-loudspeaker